MEDWAY has put in its bid for a £20 million 'people's university'. Ambitious plans by the University of Kent, the University of Greenwich and Mid Kent College, working closely with Medway council and local business, are set to transform the city into a magnet for thousands of students.

The proposals aim to bring more local people into higher education, especially those from the poorest areas and give them the chance of a degree for the first time.

Medway has one of the nation's lowest rates of people going on to university. But the new project will only go ahead if the Higher Education Funding Council approves the multi-million pound bid.

Professor David Melville, vice chancellor of the University of Kent, confirmed that the bid had just gone in but declined to be precise about the sum requested, saying it was a "sensitive issue". However, he confirmed that the total project cost was around £20 million. He expected the HEFC to respond by next spring.

There were no guarantees that it would grant the full amount but he was optimistic about the outcome. "They have been supportive and provided us with significant funds to prepare the bid," he said.